Jungle Fever
by ChristyK
Summary: The brothers return to the mysterious box that had sent them back to the past, but this time they're determined to destroy it. This is a sequel to Maiden Voyage.
1. Chapter 1

This is a sequel to Maiden Voyage. If you read that one then this one will make sense. If you didn't read Maiden Voyage I think I explained enough about that story in the first paragraph so you shouldn't have to read the prequel to Jungle Fever to understand the story….. at least I hope so. :-) Hope you like it. It doesn't have much of a story line to it…..just felt the need to smack the boys around a little….. :-)

Jungle Fever

It had been almost two months since the brothers had come back from their forced visit to the Titanic. Their trip to the past had been both amazing and terrifying. They had watched history unfold right in front of them knowing they couldn't do anything about it but watch. They knew if they tried to intervene they could have advertently affected the future. They had no choice but to leave the mysterious box which was responsible for their trip to the past exactly where they found it, in a museum displayed beneath a glass case filled with pieces of meteorites and other debris that had fallen from space. They knew that two other people who they assumed had also been sent to the past were still missing, the other five had returned the same way they had…..by dying. Dying in the past seemed to be the only way to get back to the present. But since two people were still missing the brothers assumed that they had yet to die and were still living somewhere trapped in the past. Everyday they would check the town's newspaper on the internet for any mention of the couples return. Finally they found a small article saying that the couple had been found. When questioned as to where they were in the missing months, the couple had told of living in the past and of dying in a factory fire. The entire town plus the newspaper thought the couple had made up the story for whatever reason and didn't believe a word they said. Sam had thoroughly checked throughout the archives of the town's papers for the last few months and could find no mention of anyone else going missing. They figured they could now return and hopefully destroy the box before anyone else was transported back in time.

**Clinton, Nebraska**

They pulled up to the small museum which sat on the outskirts of the town and parked behind some large bushes. They were lucky, they knew the museum's security system was practically non existent and that they would have little trouble breaking into it later that night after it closed.

"As soon as we get in there we blow it away." Dean said as he watched people leaving the museum for the night.

"Let's hope we can."

Dean reached in the back seat and came back with a small powerful flamethrower he had made.

"This'll melt that son of a bitch down till it's just a pile of melted metal."

"You hope."

Dean looked over at his brother.

"Why are you being so damn pessimistic?"

"Because we don't know what we're dealing with." Sam looked back at his brother. "We've never dealt with something like this before. Maybe it can't be destroyed."

"Well we sure as hell are going to find out."

**Later**

They waited till the museum was closed for the night then they easily disconnected the security system and slipped inside. Now all they had to do was avoid the one security guard who patrolled the area. The guard made his rounds like clockwork, once every hour he'd walk through the museum then return to his small office and TV set. The brothers waited till he was back in his office from his latest rounds then entered the room where the box was kept.

"Keep your eyes open." Dean warned Sam. He remembered the last time they were there the box had moved slightly before zapping them with a beam of light which sent them back to the past. "If it moves, even a little… run." He gave a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry….I will." Sam had no intention of being sent back to the past again. He knew the only way back was to die and he wasn't looking forward to going through that again.

"Okay….now gently lift the glass and I'll blast it." Dean got his weapon ready then glanced over at Sam who stood frozen in front of the display case. "Sam? Sammy?"

Sam finally broke out of his trance and looked over at Dean. Dean could see the worry in his brother's eyes.

"It's going to be okay Sam….We're going to end this thing." Dean knew Sam was nervous, hell he was nervous too, but it had to be done. He could only hope that the box could be destroyed, if not….well he didn't want to think about it. "Ready?"

Sam nodded and he slowly lifted the glass lid.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews, I hope you like the story. Sorry I couldn't send individual thank yous for the reviews like I like to do, but for some reason the website wouldn't let me. Is it just me or everyone? (scratches head) Just know that I appreciate each review and thank each of you for taking the time to leave one.

Jungle Fever

Chapter two

"Hold it right there!" A voice suddenly echoed throughout the room

The brothers turned toward the voice and saw the security guard standing in the doorway. They had watched the guard and knew his routine but just this one time he had deviated from it. The smell of alcohol permeated the room and they could tell the man had been drinking which only made their situation worse; a drunken man would be hard to reason with. Sam stood with the top of the display case opened in his hand; Dean stood on the other side of the cabinet his flame thrower gripped tight in his hand.

"Just take it easy buddy." Dean said when he noticed the guard had a gun in his hand pointed at his brother. He knew the guard was both drunk and nervous and might shoot with little or no provocation.

"Dean…."

Dean could hear the warning tone in his Sam's voice. He glanced over at Sam and could see that his brother's eyes were focused on the box inside the cabinet.

"It moved." Sam said as he glanced at his brother.

Dean remembered the last time the box had moved it had shot out a beam of light and had transplanted both he and his brother back in time and onto the Titanic. He didn't want to go through that hell again. He turned and looked at the guard.

"Listen buddy, this thing is dangerous we got to destroy it." Dean said as he slowly raised the flamethrower.

"Hold it right there! Don't move!" The guard took a step forward now pointing the gun at Dean.

Sam knew he had to do something, he had to make the man understand before one or both of them got shot.

"You don't understand…. we don't have a choice….we got to destroy it." Sam propped up the lid and turned toward the man. He slowly walked toward him, his arms held out at his side to show the man he didn't mean him any harm.

"Stay back!" The guard shouted as he moved the gun back and forth between the brothers.

"Sam be careful." Dean warned as he prepared to light the flamethrower. Now if Sam could just distract the guard for a few seconds this could all be over with.

Sam moved a few steps closer to the guard. He figured if he got close enough he might be able to kick the gun out of the man's hand.

"You got to get out of here….that thing is dangerous…..you have no idea what it's capable of."

"Get back over to your buddy!" The guard ordered as he took a few steps backward and bumped into a statue behind him….startled he fired the gun.

Sam gave a yelp of pain as he grabbed his side then spun around and fell to his knees.

"Sammy!" Dean dropped the flamethrower and ran to his brother's side.

The second he reached Sam's side the box shot out a beam of light and they both vanished in front of the guard's shocked eyes. The guard pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. He shook his head slightly then reopened his eyes….everything appeared to be normal.

"Boy that seemed so real." He said to himself thinking that he was having some kind of alcohol related experience. He swore he was going to give up drinking as he closed the door to the room and headed toward the snack room for a cup of coffee.

**1968**

Dean woke up to stifling heat and humidity. The first thing he did was look around for his brother. He found him a few feet away lying face down in the swamp water his long dark hair making a halo around his head.

"Sam!" When Dean tried to stand he realized he was waist deep in mucky, swampy water. As quickly as he could he made his way through the muck and over to the body and flipped it over. As soon as he was turned over Sam began throwing up water as he regained consciousness. "Just take it easy Sam….. just take it easy." Dean said as he cradled his brother in his arms as he looked around.

"Where the hell are we?" Sam asked when he was able to speak.

"You tell me."

Sam looked at Dean's clothing then down at his own. He held up his arms as he looked at the camouflage uniform he was wearing.

"I think we're in the Marines." Sam looked at his brother with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Dean looked down at his own outfit.

"Oh that's just great! What war are we in?"

"Vietnam….I think."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate each of them….and since I couldn't thank you personally Ty Ty thanks for the kind words I hope you like the rest of the story.

Jungle Fever

Chapter three

"Vietnam!" Dean said loudly in disbelief.

"Would you mind keeping it down…..If we are in Vietnam we don't need to let the VC know we're here."

"Why do you think it's Vietnam?"

"Our uniforms…plus the terrain."

"Great….So how do we get out of here?" As soon as Dean asked he knew he already knew the answer….they had to die….. Or at least that's what had to happen when they were on the Titanic. "Don't answer that." He quickly added. The thought of dying again or watching his brother die again was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"So what do you want to do? Do you think we should try to find a platoon and join up with them?"

"What if they ask who we are, and what platoon we're with? What do we say?"

"Probably the best thing to do is act like we're both shell shocked and confused."

"That might work." Dean stood up then reached down to pull Sam up. Sam gave a little grunt of pain as he stood up. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sam winced as he rubbed his hand over his side then pulled his hand away and looked down at the blood on his fingers. He had forgotten that he had been shot before the beam had hit him.

"Damn security guard." Dean said as he lifted up Sam's shirt and examined the wound.

"Owww!" Sam pulled back in pain.

"Quit acting like a baby….I got to see if the bullet's still in there."

"Well at least take it easy."

As gently as he could Dean felt around the wound in his brother's side.

"Looks like it just nicked you pretty bad; the bullet's gone clean through."

Dean looked for anything he could use as a bandage, then finding nothing he ripped a strip off of his undershirt. He then tied the makeshift bandage around Sam's waist. "That'll have to do till we find us some help."

"Which direction?"

"I guess toward the gunfire." Dean figured if there was gunfire then the American's had to be somewhere in the vicinity.

As quietly and as cautiously as they could they made there way toward the fighting.

"This is going to be tricky." Sam said as they walked. "We're in the middle of a war and we can't defend ourselves or the other Americans. If we kill anyone…..it'll change history."

"So I guess we just sit back and watch the war unfold…..just like we had to do on the Titanic."

"But on the Titanic people weren't out to kill us."

"Yeah but hopefully if they do kill us it'll send us back to our own time."

Sam winced at the thought of having to die again.

"Let's hope so. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

**Later**

Walking through the thick mud was slow going and the brothers were soon exhausted.

"It sounds like we're not any closer then we were two hours ago." Dean said when they stopped to take a break, the gun fire still seemed a long way off.

Both boys were now soaked with sweat their clothing clinging to their bodies. Sam wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

"We might not even be heading in the right direction. It's hard to tell with the way things echo around here."

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"Well….if the only way to get back to our time is to die….maybe we can just…."

"Kill ourselves?" Sam finished his brother's statement.

"Well, yeah."

"How do we do that? If you haven't noticed we don't have any weapons." They had woken up in 1968 with fatigues and boots on but nothing else, no weapons, no medical supplies….nothing.

"It was just a thought."

"Dean….even if we had something to kill ourselves with, we don't know if it would even work."

"Why not?"

"Because when we were on the Titanic the past is what killed us, we did nothing to bring about our own deaths. If we kill ourselves we have no way of knowing if we'd get the same results. Would we get back to our own time or…..would we just be dead? Maybe….well maybe we just have to wait for something to happen here to cause our deaths."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter four

Neither boy was thrilled with the idea of waiting to see how they died, nor watching the other one die, but what else could they do? Their deaths on the Titanic brought them back to their own time, so all they could hope for was that if they died here, they would also be taken back.

**Later**

Finally they came across the source of all the gunfire which by now had slowed down drastically.

"Stay low." Dean warned Sam as they tried to figure out where the friendly fire was coming from and which was the enemy. When they finally spotted men dressed as they were they slowly made their way toward them being careful to keep down and hopefully out of sight of the enemy fire. When bullets started splashing in the water near them from the American side Dean waved his arms in the air hoping that no one picked him off.

"We're Americans!"

After a few seconds he heard someone shout.

"Hold your fire!"

When the gunfire from the Marines stopped Dean and Sam made their way into camp.

"What the hell are you boys doing out there?" The commanding officer Sergeant Gerald Simpson asked.

"We got separated from our platoon." Sam spoke up, not knowing what else to say.

"What platoon are you with and where are you located Corporal?"

Sam glanced at Dean…..he wasn't sure who the man was talking to. Corporal? He then glanced down at the insignia on his jacket and knew the man was talking to him. Dean glanced at his own insignia and saw that he was only a private. He knew since Sam's insignia showed that he was above him in rank that he should keep quiet and let his brother do the talking.

"I'm not exactly sure…." Sam gave a nervous laugh hoping he didn't sound foolish. "We got caught up in heavy artillery fire and things are still a little confusing to both of us." Sam had to think of something quick to say and it was the best he could come up with.

"Got a little shell shocked huh?" Simpson knew it was common for soldiers who had been hit by heavy mortar fire to become confused for awhile.

"More then a little I'm afraid." Sam gave the man a small smile. "We even lost our weapons." The ruse seemed to be working; the man didn't question him further.

Simpson then saw the blood on the side of Sam's jacket.

"You hurt?"

"It's just a scratch."

"The simplest scratch can become a full blown infection out here in these conditions. Keep an eye on it and keep it clean……Our medic was killed yesterday , stepped on a land mine and blew himself up, plus our medical supplies went with him. He's the second medic we lost in the last week." The Sergeant shook his head sadly as he remembered watching the two men die. "Right now we're on our own…..all we can do is look after each other till they send in reinforcements." The officer nodded toward his ragged platoon. Half the men looked like they had been injured and all of them looked exhausted.

"Why don't they send you another medic?" Sam asked as he looked at the Sergeant's men and watched as they tried to patch up their injured comrades.

"They tried…..The VC took down the helicopter." The Sergeant looked over at his platoon's makeshift camp. "Welcome to camp…..Make yourselves at home." The Sergeant walked away keeping his eyes on the heavy growth of vegetation, the fighting had stopped for the moment but he knew it could start up again at any time and he had to be ready.

Dean and Sam made their way into the camp. Sam jabbed his brother with his elbow and smiled.

"Hey I'm your superior." Sam pointed to the insignia on his jacket which showed he was a Corporal while Dean's insignia showed he was a Private 1st class. "You need to treat me with respect." He said grinning.

"Don't let it go to your head, I can still and always will be able to kick your ass." Dean said as he and his brother sat down next to a tree. They both looked at the men who sat around them lost in their own thoughts. None of the men really paid much attention to them, most were too tired from the recent skirmish to even notice the new men in camp.

"So now I guess we just hang around till…." Sam said as he stretched his sore leg muscles.

"Till someone kills us…." Dean finished his brother's statement.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter five

The brother's were miserable, the heat and humidity was oppressive and their clothes clung to them like a second skin. But they knew that all they could do was sit there and take it and try not to do anything which might affect the outcome of what really happened in the coming days. Dean looked over at his brother.

"What year do you think this is?"

"Probably the late sixties."

They looked at the young soldiers who were covered in mud and looked as miserable as they felt. The soldiers all appeared to be in their early twenties, some probably in their late teens….way too young to die. In the brother's time these soldiers would be in their fifties and sixties, most with families. The brothers wondered how many of them actually made it home from the war. They both hoped they weren't going to be forced to watch these men die in front of them and not be able to do anything about it like they had to do on the Titanic, but they also knew they could do nothing that would interfere with what had happened in the past. They knew they had no choice but to sit back and let history unfold in front of them.

After waiting a few hours to see if the Viet Cong would attempt to engage them in another fight the Sergeant had his tired men pack up their equipment to move to another camp site, hopefully somewhere on dry land and away from the swamps….. but first they had to get there.

Dean and Sam were both issued new weapons. They had told the Sergeant that they had lost their own weapons during the barrage of artillery fire and he didn't question them…..right now his only concern was getting his men out of the area alive.

They headed out into the swamp holding their rifles in both hands high above their heads in an effort to keep them dry. It was slow going and exhausting as they waded chest deep through he thick marshland. There was no dry land in sight and they were forced to walk for hours before they spotted a small dry patch of land and decided to make camp there. The soldiers crawled up onto the land and collapsed in total exhaustion; they had been fighting for days and were badly in need of rest. They kept quiet and low to the ground hoping they wouldn't be spotted by the enemy. Each soldier was then given a small packet of food; the C- ration would be all they would get for the day since most of their food supply was destroyed by the enemy fire. They would have to eat it cold since any hint of a fire could be spotted miles away. Dean and Sam eyed the men sadly knowing that some of these men wouldn't make it out of Vietnam alive.

"You read about this stuff but you never really knew what it was like for these guys." Dean said to his brother.

"Yeah…. The world went about living their lives day to day while these men were over here dying for us. Then they came home to a country were some called them baby killers." Sam shook his head sadly.

The brothers watched as two Marines comforted their buddy who was badly wounded.

"If only we had our medical kit." Dean said as he watched.

"Even if we did we couldn't help him….We have to let this day play out the way it did back then with as little interference from us as possible."

Dean picked up a stone and hurled it across the ground in frustration. He hated sitting around not being able to do anything to help.

"When we get back to our time I'm going to rip that damn box apart with my bare hands if I have to." He wasn't about to let this happen to anyone else. "We should have destroyed that thing as soon as we came back from the Titanic."

"We couldn't…… If we did that couple would never have made it back."

Dean knew his brother was right. If they would have moved or destroyed the box the couple that had still been missing might never have made it back from the past. And warning anyone wasn't even an option……they would have thought they were nuts.

Sergeant Simpson was on the radio trying to contact his command post when a shout came from one of his men.

"Incoming!" Was all the man could get out before the ground around them exploded from an artillery shell.

"Take cover!" Simpson shouted to his weary soldiers.

Dean and Sam glanced at each other, neither one knowing quite what to do. There was no shelter in sight; and they hadn't even had time to dig in for the night. All they could do was run toward a small ditch that some of the soldiers were headed for. Dean landed in the small depression first then looked up just in time to see a nearby explosion blow some of the soldiers into the air, including his brother.

"Sammy!" Dean shouted as he ran to his brother's body and pulled him into the ditch. "You're going to be okay….you're going to be okay…." He kept repeating trying to reassure himself as much as his brother as he checked out Sam's wounds. There were numerous cuts covering Sam's body but none of them appeared to be life threatening. He also found a bump on the side of his brother's head which was the reason for his unconsciousness. He knew Sam was lucky, a few inches lower and the blow would have hit his temple possibly killing him. Dean peeked out over the top of the ditch and could see the Sergeant's body lying directly in front of him. He appeared to have taken a direct hit and Dean could tell he was dead, along with some of his men.

It was then Dean heard shouting in Vietnamese and knew the enemy was near. He swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw a squad of Viet Cong approaching them. He started to reach for his weapon but knew he couldn't use it, neither he nor his brother was even supposed to be there. A few of the Marines who weren't injured attempted to fight but they were quickly overpowered. Dean pulled Sam close as one of the Vietnamese soldiers walked over to him and pointed a rifle at his head.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter six

Sam moaned slightly as he slowly woke up then suddenly jolted awake when he opened his eyes and saw where they were.

"Easy Sammy." Dean released his brother who he had been cradling in his arms. "Just take it easy for awhile, you got a nasty bump on your head."

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he sat up with Dean's help.

"We've been taken prisoner."

Sam looked around at the ragged group of men sitting in the cold damp cell, there were only five other men from the camp in the room besides he and his brother.

"Where are the others?" Sam knew there had been about fifteen men in the camp before everything went black.

"They're gone." Dean said sadly. Most of the others had been killed by the sudden burst of artillery fire, the rest were killed when the Viet Cong stormed their camp. Dean could see a hint of fear flash in his brother's eyes, they both knew it would have been better to have been killed right away then be imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp. They knew the Viet Cong were famous for their ways of making a prisoner talk. At least if they had been killed outright they may have made it back to their own time period ,now…who knew what was going to happen. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

"You took a nasty hit….You're damn lucky, you could have been killed."

"It would have been better if he was killed." Mike Conner one of the men in the room spoke up.

Both Dean and Sam looked over at him.

"Why?" Dean finally asked not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.

"With the Sergeant dead, the Corporal's the commanding officer…..Those bastards are really going to lay into him. They know he'll know more then us, so he's the one they're going to try to get to talk."'

"Give me your jacket." Dean told Sam as he took off his own jacket.

"Why?"

"Just give it to me." Dean handed Sam his jacket.

"No Dean." Sam knew what his brother was thinking. He was going to let the Viet Cong think he was the highest in command and take the punishment for him.

"Damn it Sam just give me the damn jacket!"

"Dean you don't have to protect me the rest of your life. I'm a big boy now and I'll take what's coming."

"Damn it Sam you almost got blown away only a couple of hours ago." Dean looked at Sam's bloody clothing. "Look at you….you're covered in blood, and who knows how bad you might be hurt."

The brothers ignored the stares from the other men in the room who thought it odd that Dean was calling his commanding officer by his first name.

"I said no Dean."

Dean reached over and pulled on Sam's jacket trying to physically remove it from him. If his brother wasn't about to give it up he'd take it from him.

"Damn it Dean!" Sam was struggling to hang onto his jacket when the door suddenly opened and five Vietnamese soldiers stood at the doorway, four of them holding rifles on the men. A fifth man then stepped forward.

"You are all enemies of my country…..but I am willing to give immediate freedom to the man who renounces his government and tells me where their base camp is."

The men, including Dean and Sam looked at each other in disbelief; the man spoke almost perfect English with just a hint of an accent.

The man caught the look and smiled.

"My name is Tuan Nguyen. I was educated in your country but I have returned to my home country to save it from your imperialistic government." At the word government he spit on the ground. "Your country has no right in mine. You are all murderers of women and children. You will renounce your country and its government or you will all die here." When none of the men spoke up Nguyen walked over to them. "Such loyalty for a country that cares not whether they live or die, a country whose children beg for peace. "

When Nguyen pointed toward one of the Marines his men rushed into the room and grabbed the man by his arms and pulled him out of the cell. Nguyen smiled at the remaining men then turned around and followed his men and the struggling captive. Dean quickly grabbed Sam when he tried to intervene.

"Dean we can't just sit here and do nothing." Sam whispered over his shoulder to his brother. "You know what they're going to do to him."

"Sit here and do nothing is exactly what we have to do."

Sam knew his brother was right; there was nothing they could do that might change what had already happened years ago.

"But what about us?" Sam asked as he and Dean both sat back down on the ground with their backs to the wall. "We're not even suppose to be here."

"I don't know Sam…….I guess we wait and see what happens." Dean said as he swallowed hard…..he had watched enough war movies to know what they were in for.

Both brothers winced inwardly as they listened to the cries of the soldier in the next room as he was being tortured.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter seven

A few hours later the man was brought back to the building, his bruised and beaten body was then tossed into the cell. They waited till the door was shut then the men went over to him. It appeared his right arm had been broken plus he had numerous bruises and burn marks over his back and stomach. They did what they could to ease his pain but with no medical supplies or even clean water there was little they could do.

"I didn't tell them anything." Will Smith said proudly.

Sam looked over at Dean, he was used to helping people, not letting them get injured and do nothing about it.

"Why didn't they take me? I'm the highest ranking officer." Sam would have gladly gone in the man's place.

"Just be glad they didn't." Dean looked at the Marine's beaten body and knew that sooner or later they were both going to be taken out of the room for questioning. He also knew Sam was going to get the worse of it because they would assume, and rightly so, that being a Corporal he would know more then the other men.

"How the hell are we going to get out of this?"

Dean looked around the room. The cell was solidity built with one small window that had bamboo bars in it. He knew that even if they could remove the bars and squeeze through the window there would be guards waiting for them outside. Attempting to escape and failing would only bring more torture down on them and the other men as well.

"I don't know Sam, I wish I did."

**Two days later**

Over the past two days each man, including Dean and Sam, were taken out individually to be questioned and tortured for answers. All of them now sat around nursing their injuries. Dean and Sam so far had been relatively lucky; some of the men had been beaten so badly that their arms, legs, or ribs had been broken. One man even had been blinded in both eyes.

For the last two hours Sam had been in a restless sleep, tossing and turning on the floor, occasionally moaning in pain. Dean didn't try to awaken him, he knew that even a few minutes of restless sleep was better then lying there awake waiting to see who was going to be taken out next to be questioned.

Finally Sam woke up and pulled himself up next to Dean who was leaning against the wall his eyes on the door. As soon as his brother sat next to him Dean could feel the heat radiating off of Sam's body. He reached over and put his hand up to his younger brother's forehead.

"Damn it Sam you're burning up."

Dean ripped off a strip of his shirt then dipped it into the dirty water container the Viet Cong had provided them with. He placed the strip on his brother's forehead hoping to cool down his fever a little.

Sam gave Dean a weak smile.

"Thanks……That feels better."

It was then Dean noticed a rash covering Sam's arms. He quickly opened his brother's shirt and winced when he saw that the rash also covered Sam's body.

"What the hell?"

"Looks like the Corporal's coming down with Jungle Fever." Harry Johnson, one of the Marines said as he looked over at them.

Dean looked over at the man.

"Jungle Fever?"

"You've never heard of it?" Johnson seemed surprised, everyone in Vietnam had heard of Jungle Fever. When Dean didn't answer him the man continued. "You get it from the swamps around here. There's a medical name for it but everyone just calls it Jungle Fever." Johnson looked at Sam. "The Corporal must have somehow drunk some of the swamp water."

Dean tried to think back to when Sam might have drunk any of the water….and then he remembered. When he had found Sam he had been lying face down in the swamp, he must have breathed some of the water into his lungs before he managed to flip him over. Dean glanced over at his brother as he swallowed hard. Between the beatings and the fever he wondered how long Sam would last.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter eight

"Sorry Dean." Sam said, the sweat from the fever already breaking out at his hairline. He knew his being sick made things that much more difficult. If they found a way to escape he'd only end up holding Dean back and he knew his brother wouldn't leave without him.

"No need to apologize Sam. It's not your fault."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the door flew open. Two men came in and yanked Sam to his feet while two other men held guns on the other captives.

"He's sick!" Dean shouted as he jumped up.

"Maybe then he'll talk." Nguyen appeared at the doorway, he was the main interrogator and it was obvious he enjoyed the pain he inflicted on his prisoners.

"He can't tell you anything!... He was injured before he was brought here…..His mind is all mixed up……He's confused and doesn't remember much of anything. He won't be of any help to you."

"Trying to protect your superior officer…how noble of you."

"It's true you son of a bitch! He's not going to be able to tell you anything."

"I'll determine that." Nguyen nodded at the two guard and they began to pull Sam out of the room.

"Leave him alone you sadistic bastard!" Dean ran over and tried to pull his brother away from the guards.

Nguyen yelled something in Vietnamese and four other guards stormed into the room and restrained Dean.

"Maybe you would like to watch." Nguyen said grinning, he enjoyed the reaction he got from men who were forced to watch their friends suffer. "Bring him with us." He ordered his guards.

**Torture room**

Dean struggled with the guards but he was too weak from little food and little rest and was soon overpowered. He was taken into the room and tied to a heavy metal chair; a gag was then placed in his mouth. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched his brother's shirt being ripped from his body then watched as he was strung up in front of him by his arms. With Sam's shirt now completely removed Dean got a good look at the rash covering his brother's body. Dark red splotches covered his entire torso and blended together with his arms and face to make his entire upper body a bright angry red.

Nguyen smiled at Dean as he picked up a whip like device that had spikes attached every few inches. Dean glared at the man; he wanted nothing more then to rip his head off with his bare hands. He watched as Sam glanced down at the contraption in Nguyen's hand, Dean saw his brother swallow hard then tense his body as he waited for the blows.

Nguyen stood in front of Sam smiling as he flicked the whip at the floor.

"You tell me what I want to know and I will take you back to your cell……Where are the American camps and where and when do they plan to attack?"

Sam said nothing.

Without hesitation Nguyen walked behind Sam and brought the whip down hard on his back. Sam's head flew back and he gave a little gasp at the sudden pain. The whip had put a slash down his back and the spikes had ripped tiny chunks out of his skin.

"Let him alone your bastard!" Dean screamed through his gag as he struggled to free himself.

Nguyen ignored him as he followed the first lash with ten more lashes. Sam clenched his teeth as he silently endured the pain.

Tears glistened in Dean's eyes. Their father had taught them to endure physical pain, but it was the mental anguish of watching his brother being tortured that no one could teach him to endure.

"You are a strong one aren't you? By now most men would be begging me to stop."

Dean looked at Sam and tried to will him to give the man fake coordinates, anything to make him stop the beating, but Sam said nothing.

By now Sam's back was a river of blood. Nguyen first smiled at Dean then walked over to a bucket of salt and picked up a handful. He then walked back to Sam and rubbed the salt into the bloody wounds. Sam winced and gritted his teeth as he tried to pull away from the pain but there was no where to go.

"I can keep this up all night…..Can you?" Nguyen asked Sam as he looked over at Dean enjoying the agony on his face as he watched his friend being tortured.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter nine

An hour later Sam finally passed out and was cut down. Dean winced when he saw the bloody lash marks running down his brother's back. Dean was then untied from the chair and he ripped off his gag as he sprang up cursing.

"You fucking son of a bitch! Can't you see you're killing him?" He asked as he walked toward Nguyen, but he was quickly grabbed by two guards. He didn't try to fight them, he knew it was useless, there were too many guards around and all he would accomplish was maybe getting Sam hurt even more. " He's already sick with a fever and now you try to beat him to death? Where the hell is that going to get you? If he's dead he's of no use to you."

"Such passion." Nguyen gave a little laugh. "Why do you care so much about this man? You can always get a new commanding officer." Nguyen looked over at Sam who hung limp between two of his guards. "Strange though…..he does seem a little young to be a Corporal."

"You think you're such a big man…. then why don't you take on someone who isn't already sick? Why don't you take me on one to one? Show your men how big you really are."

"I have no need for that. I think another round with your Corporal and he'll be begging to tell me what I want to know." Nguyen looked at his men. "Take them back to their cell."

**The cell**

Sam was drug into the room and dropped on the floor, Dean was then pushed into the room. He immediately went to his brother's side. The other Marines gathered around trying to offer any kind of help they could.

"Boy they really did a number on him." Conner said as he watched Dean try to clean the wounds the best he could with the dirty water from the bucket. "The officers always get worse then us." He said shaking his head sadly as he looked at Sam's wounds.

"He tell them anything?" Smith asked.

Dean shook his head and blinked back tears as he looked at his brother's beaten body. Their dad had taught them well he thought sadly, how to take the pain and not break. And even though Sam knew nothing, he still took the pain rather then give out false information.

"You should have told them something Sammy…..anything just to stop the beating." Dean said softly as he continued to try and clean his brother's wounds.

Seeing his brother beaten had hurt Dean far worse then if he himself had taken the beating and somehow Nguyen had known that, even though he had no way of knowing they were brothers, or that they were even close.

Dean looked over at Johnson who was kneeling next to him.

"This Jungle Fever you talked about…..what are the symptoms….what's going to happen to him?"

"Well the rash comes first, then the fever. If he isn't given antibiotics the fever will become worse, he'll get weak and he'll start to hallucinate and get confused. Eventually his body will start to shut down and…… he'll die."

Dean knew as much as it would kill him to watch his brother die, he knew it might be the only way to make it back to their time; at least that's what happened on the Titanic. Once they died, they woke up back in the museum. But would he be able to sit back and watch Sam die? He didn't know if he could do that again.

Sam's eyelids finally started to flutter and he slowly opened them. He looked up into his brother's face and gave a weak smile.

"Good to see ya….. You okay?"

"You're the one who took the beating Sam, you tell me." Dean smiled back at his brother.

"I've been better." Sam winced as he tried to move.

"Well just take it easy….. Your back's pretty messed up." Dean leaned in close. "Sam….if they take you again just tell them anything, make up coordinates….just give them something, anything to let them think they broke you."

Sam gave a little laugh.

"You should have told me that before I went in there."

"I figured you'd think of it yourself." Dean smiled sadly, he knew their Dad's brainwashing about handling pain and not giving in to your enemies was the reason Sam had kept quiet. All their lives they had been taught to keep their mouths shut no matter how much pain they were in, that if the enemy got them to talk they would be of no further use to them and they would more then likely be killed. It was true with most of the evil things they had to deal with but this was different. Here if you talked the enemy might let up on the beatings a little, but Dean also knew the Marines he was imprisoned with would think less of you. They also had been trained to take the torture, to not give into the enemy, and if one of them broke it would bring shame to all of them. But how much torture could a man endure? How long before he broke?

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you like the story so far.

Jungle Fever

Chapter ten

The beatings continued over the next few days with each man experiencing his own share of them. At one point the enemy used reverse psychology and made Sam sit in the chair and watch Dean and the other men being beaten. They figured an officer would be trained to handle the torture but seeing his men tortured might just break him. But by this point Sam's fever was raging and instead of giving them the information they wanted, he rambled on about demons and the creatures they had hunted.

**The torture room**

Dean stood on a chair a noose around his neck his hands tied behind him. The rope had been thrown over a beam in the ceiling and had already been tighten to the point where Dean had to stand on his toes so he wouldn't be strangled. Every time Sam was asked a question, and didn't give them the answer they wanted, Nguyen pulled the rope tighter. Dean's lungs screamed for air, his face was red from trying to get a decent breath. He knew it would be easy to just stop fighting and die and get it over with, but he didn't want to leave his brother alone with these men. He didn't want Sam to endure the suffering alone. He could hear Sam pleading for them to stop as he fought the darkness that threatened to claim him.

"Please stop….please…." Sam begged in his more lucid moments. The fever was causing him to be confused as to where they were and what was happening, but the one thing he could keep straight was that Dean was in trouble and he had to help him. "Let him go…..please …please just let him go."

When Sam's head lolled down onto his chest one of Nguyen's men put a rifle butt under it and forced it up while another threw water onto his face to keep him awake.

"Tell me what I want to know and your friend will not have to suffer." Nguyen told Sam. "Where is your command post? How many men are assigned to it? What are their orders?" Nguyen began barking out questions.

Sam looked up at Nguyen but instead of seeing him he saw the face of a demon grinning back at him.

"Get away from him you son of a bitch!"

"Tell me what I want and I'll leave him alone."

"Go to Hell!"

Nguyen nodded to his men and the rope was pulled even tighter, Dean was slowly being pulled off his feet.

"Let my brother alone you bastard!" Sam struggled to free himself.

"Your brother?" Nguyen had no idea the men were brothers. This could work to his advantage he thought. "Your brother will die unless you tell me what I want to know." He knew the death of a brother was far worse then the death of a fellow soldier.

Sam looked up at his brother as his eyes filled with tears. He tried to think straight, he had to for Dean's sake, but he couldn't, all the creatures they had fought throughout the years kept flashing through his mind and as he looked back at Nguyen he saw him morphing into each of them. When Nguyen started walking toward him he tried to pull away from him but he was tied and there was no where to go.

"Dean!" He cried out for his brother. He was defenseless, he couldn't help himself or his brother and the thought of it caused him to panic. His heart started racing which only pushed the poison in his body faster into his bloodstream. "Oh God Dean I'm sorry….." Sam managed to get out right before he collapsed in the chair. Nguyen reached over and pulled Sam's head up by his hair and looked into his face making sure he was really unconscious and not just faking it.

Dean could see everything that was happening but was powerless to do anything about it. With Sam now unconscious Nguyen ordered his guards to release Dean. Once the rope was cut Dean also collapsed and fell to the floor where he lay for a few seconds coughing as he tried to catch his breath. He then looked over at his brother.

"Sam?"

"Don't worry…your _brother_ isn't dead…but he'll wish he was." He added with a sadistic smile.

Dean swallowed hard when he heard Nguyen say _brother_. He now knew that they were brothers, and that would only mean more torture to try to break them. He could try to give the man fake coordinates so he would stop torturing Sam but he knew Nguyen wouldn't believe him, only commanding officers knew the exact coordinates of the command post and the other platoons. He had to get Sam to give out the fake information; at least it might give his brother a little break from the torture. But he knew Sam wasn't himself…..he was confused and hallucinating, and if the man who told them about the symptoms of Jungle Fever was right……he was soon going to die.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews.

Jungle Fever

Chapter eleven

With Sam unconscious Nguyen saw no reason to further torture Dean without an audience. Both brothers were thrown back into the cell. Dean immediately crawled over to his brother.

"Sammy?....Sam?" He blinked back tears as he looked at Sam's sweat soaked face; it was obvious his fever was getting worse. He pulled his brother into his arms. He knew between the beatings and the fever Sam wasn't going to last much longer, but he also knew dying would hopefully send his brother back to their own time and get him out of the hell they were living in. Dean was torn about what to do, sit back and watch his brother die, or do what ever he could to try and help him live, but by helping him he knew he was just prolonging his torture?

Mike Conner crawled over to them.

"You and him must be close….you called the Corporal by his first name."

"Yeah, yeah we are close."

"He doesn't look too good. I think he's only got a few days at most, maybe less."

Dean could only nod, he knew Conner was right.

A few minutes later Sam opened his eyes. He looked at Dean and seemed relieved to see him, but then he looked at Conner and recoiled back into Dean's arms.

"What's he doing here?" Sam asked as he watched Conner's face morph into a demon's face.

"It's okay Sam, it's not what you think." Dean did his best to reassure his brother.

"He's a demon Dean can't you see it?"

"Sam it's the fever talking….just try to relax."

Dean could only imagine what the men in the cell were thinking. They had to have heard Sam in the next room screaming about demons and creatures while he was being tortured.

"What's going on with him?" Conner asked. He could tell something was different about the two men but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. For one thing he had heard Sam shout about leaving his brother alone. He knew there would be no way that two brothers would be in the same platoon. They just didn't do it that way in the Marines. The brothers would have been separated into different platoons, but here they were together. What the hell was going on he wondered?

"The fever is making him hallucinate." Dean tried to explain.

"I heard him say you were his brother….Is that true?"

"Like I said he's hallucinating."

"And what's all this talk about demons? I heard him screaming about demons and about some girl named Ruby and her knife, plus something about a devil's trap. What the hell's he talking about?"

"The Corporal's burning up with fever……he's hallucinating. Plus he could have suffered a brain injury when we were hit by the artillery fire. He doesn't know what he's saying…..it's all rubbish."

"I've heard people ramble on before when they had a brain injury or were burning up with fever, they say all kinds of nonsense…….but this is different. The Corporal actually seemed to know exactly what he was talking about…..Plus when they were questioning him about President Johnson and what his plans were, he kept saying Johnson wasn't the president……that some guy named Bush was. Who the hell is Bush?"

Dean ignored the man as he dipped a cloth into the bucket of water and dabbed it on Sam's face hoping to cool him down a little.

"Dean…." Sam looked up at him. "We got to get out of here…..We got to get back to our own year…our own time."

Conner looked at Dean confused then looked back down at Sam.

"And what year is that?"

"2008."

"2008?"

"Yeah…..we shouldn't be here….we don't belong here."

Dean pulled his brother close; he knew Sam didn't realize what he was saying; the fever was making him talk.

"Take it easy Sam, don't talk, just take it easy." He told his brother as he continued trying to cool him down. He glanced at Conner hoping he would stop questioning him and go back to the other men who were lost in their own misery and didn't seem to be paying any attention to their conversation.

"Who are you guys?" Conner asked. "You suddenly appear out of nowhere, and neither one of you could tell the Sergeant what platoon you were with. What's going on?"

"I told you, we took some heavy artillery fire before we ran into your platoon…..we were confused."

"Maybe one of you but not both."

"Like I said, we're confused."

"There's something strange about you, about both of you. I can't quite put my finger on it but……like your _brother_ said….you look like you don't belong here. … And the torture…… You should be screaming by now, giving out information…..but you both just take it; take it like you're used to it….like you've been in extreme pain before and …… and somehow know how to handle it, like some kind of special ops guys. Who are you? Who are you really?"

Dean had heard Conner refer to Sam as his brother and he decided not to deny it any longer, what was the point. He glanced up at Conner as he continued trying to cool Sam off.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews. I'm going on vacation so I won't be able to post the final two chapters till I come back on January 5th. Hope everyone has a great holiday!! Bye till next year…..

Jungle Fever

Chapter twelve

Dean figured it wasn't going to hurt anything or change anything if he told Conner the truth. What would it matter, he wouldn't believe him anyway and would probably think both he and Sam were crazy and if that was the case maybe he'd stop asking so many questions.

"He's right." Dean said softly not wanting the others to hear as he looked down at Sam. "We're not from this time." He looked at Conner expecting to see him looking at him like he was nuts, but instead he gave him a knowing smile.

"You found the box?" Conner asked also quietly.

It was now Dean's turn to look shocked.

"You know about the box?"

"Yeah, I found it in nineteen sixty five."

"Then you know what it can do?"

Conner nodded.

"Yeah, a beam of light shot out of it and suddenly I was living in the twenties."

"How did you get to the sixties?"

"I was killed in a bank robbery and I was sent back to my own time."

"So you really belong here? You belong in the sixties?"

"Yeah. I'm exactly where I belong….unfortunately." He said as he looked around the damp cell. "The box was eventually found by someone else and taken to the museum."

"You never told anyone what happened to you?"

"No, of course not, who would believe me? They'd lock me up, they'd think I was nuts." Conner looked down at Sam. "So you two really are brothers, and you're really from 2008?"

Dean nodded and then explained.

"We were in the museum a few months back and were hit by the beam of light. We were sent to the Titanic. We both died the day it went down, but by dying….we were sent back to our own time. We wanted to try and destroy the box when we came back but we knew there were still people missing and if we destroyed it, they might never make it back. A few months later we read that the missing people returned, and no one else had gone missing, so we went back to get rid of it. But a lame brained security guard got in the way….anyway we both got zapped again and ended up here."

"So then the only way to get back to your own time is to die?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Dean felt bad for Conner. He knew that since Conner was already living in the time he was suppose to be living in, if he died he would just die and not return to another time.

Conner knew what he was thinking.

"Pretty crappy huh? I die here, I'm dead. You at least will go back to where you belong. You'd welcome death, because you'd go home."

"Sorry." Dean didn't know what else to say. He knew he couldn't mess with the past or it would change the future. If Conner had died here in the prison camp back in sixty eight or what ever year it was, there was nothing they could do to stop it. Hopefully he either escaped or was rescued but whatever happened Dean knew he'd just have to let it play out like it had forty years ago.

**Later**

Dean sat on the hard ground of the cell cradling Sam in his arm. His brother had passed out but had regained consciousness off and on throughout the last two hours. Sam was burning up with fever and Dean could feel it radiating off of his body. He knew if the fever kept up Sam more then likely wouldn't make it through the day. The thought of having to watch Sam die again was making him sick, but he knew if his brother died hopefully he'd go back to their own time and wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Part of him wanted Sam to die now, relatively peacefully rather then to go through any more torture. He remembered that the last time they had been sent to the past his brother had died on the lifeboat and his body had slowly vanished. If Sam died here how would he explain it to the other Marines or even worse, how would he explain it to their captors. His thoughts were interrupted when Sam stirred in his arms.

"Dean?"

"Right here." Dean gave his brothers a reassuring hug.

"You….you okay? They didn't … they didn't hurt you did they."

Dean blinked back tears. Sam was the one who was suffering and yet he was more concerned about him then himself.

"No Sam….they didn't hurt me."

"Oh good." Sam gave a weak smile. "Dean…..I saw Dad…..and I saw Mom and Jessica…..They wanted me to go with them…..but I don't want to leave you…."

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat as he wiped at the tears that threatened to run down his face.

"Sammy…..if they come for you again I want you to go…..I want you to go with them."

"What about you?

"I'll come along later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah Sammy….I'll be right behind you."

Sam had just started to relax in his arms when Nguyen and the guards walked into the cell.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews. Hope everyone has a good New Year!

Jungle Fever

Chapter thirteen

"Take him outside!" Nguyen pointed toward Sam.

"Let him alone he's dying!" Dean fought to hold onto Sam's body but when a rifle butt was slammed into his stomach then into his knee he collapsed to the floor and was forced to let go of his brother.

Sam was then drug out of the room.

"He can't tell you anything!" Dean shouted at Nguyen as he lay on the floor.

"Then he'll die." Nguyen walked over to Dean his face filled with hate. "The Americans just bombed my village…half my family is gone. … Your Corporal is going to tell us what we want to know or he dies."

Nguyen then headed for the door. Dean managed to get to his feet.

"Take me with you….I'll get him to talk."

"He'll talk to me or he won't talk to anyone …ever again." Nguyen walked out of the door.

Dean got up and tried to make his way to the door but was held back by the other Marines who knew he would be shot if he attempted to interfere. He could hear them drag Sam outside and quickly went to the window along with the other Marines. They watched as Sam was drug toward a bamboo cage that was partially submerged in water.

"What are they going to do to him?"

"They're going to put him in the cage and he'll have to fight to keep his face above water. …With the condition he's in….." Conner shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry but he won't last long."

"I've heard they've kept people in there for days sometimes. As long as they can get a breath of air they can last a long time." Johnson said as he watched for a few seconds then shook his head sadly and walked away.

Dean watched in horror as Sam's arms were forced behind his back and his hands tied then as he was thrown into the cage and lowered even deeper into the water. Now only abut two inches of the cage was above water. He watched through tears as his brother struggled to the surface for air.

"Those bastards I'll kill every one of them!" Dean shouted in frustration.

Conner looked over at Dean, then put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Let's just hope he goes quick."

"My brother's a fighter….he won't go quick." Dean knew that even though Sam was sick his training from their dad would kick in and Sam would fight to survive which would only prolong his agony.

**Later **

Dean wasn't sure how long he had been watching but he could tell Sam was becoming weaker and weaker, it took him a few seconds longer each time he tried to fight his way to the surface for air. As much as it ripped him apart to watch Dean couldn't tear himself away from the scene. He didn't want Sam to be alone and even if Sam couldn't see him he hoped he could feel that he was with him.

"Sammy give up…..please, just give up." Dean said softly to himself. He couldn't believe he was actually wishing his brother would give up and die, but he knew dying was the only way to make it back to their own time period and the only way to be rid of the agony he was enduring.

"You're right; your brother's a fighter." Conner said as he walked over and looked out the window. "Most men would have given up by now." Conner looked at Dean. "He's probably fighting because he doesn't want to leave you alone here."

They watched as Nguyen and his men would occasionally pull the cage from the water and pull Sam out. They would then question him, but when he refused to answer they'd beat him and put him back in the cage. They both knew he couldn't last much longer.

"Why don't you go sit down….you shouldn't be watching this?" Conner said as he turned away from the scene that he himself found hard to watch.

"I can't." Dean said simply. He'd stay fixated to the spot until Sam either died or was released, he wasn't about to let him suffer alone.

It was then they heard a humming noise outside which kept getting louder and louder. They could see the Vietnamese soldiers running around outside frantically shouting to each other. Finally they saw what was causing the noise. … American planes were flying over the compound. The Vietnamese soldiers immediately began firing anti aircraft missiles at the planes and in return the planes began bombing the compound. Dean's heart pounded as he listened to the whistling sounds of the bombs falling. He knew he didn't have much protection, but he knew his brother had none. Maybe, hopefully if they died, they'd die together.

"Everyone down!" Johnsons shouted as the bombs began to hit near their building.

The ground shook with each loud explosion. Then after a few seconds of bombing the cell wall leading to the outside began to crumble. The prisoners kicked out what was left of the wall and quickly began filing out of the cell taking their injured comrades with them. The men stopped at Sam's cage and yanked it out of the water. They pried open the door and Dean pulled his half dead brother out. Just then a bomb hit nearby and a large piece of shrapnel hit Dean's leg, he went down, blood squirting everywhere.

"Let's get them out of here!" Johnson yelled to his companions. They started to lift Dean and Sam off the ground but Dean knew they couldn't go with them. What ever had happened that day so long ago, they weren't a part of it.

"Leave us." Dean ordered.

"No way!"

Dean looked at Conner.

"You know you have to. … Just get them out of here…..go!"

Conner realized that taking Dean and Sam with them would only prolong their agony. He knew they weren't a part of his world and knew the only way back to theirs was to die. He swallowed the lump in his throat and patted Dean on his back as he turned back to his men.

"Let's go!" He outranked the remaining men and he knew they would question him but they would also obey him.

"But…." Johnson looked down at the brothers….. Dean had crawled over to Sam and had pulled him into his arms. "We can't just leave them!" He knew the Marines left no man behind.

"I said let's go!" Conner ordered, and with one final look back at Dean he ran into the jungle and the rest of the men soon followed.

Finally the bombing stopped and the Vietnamese soldiers began attending to their injured. Nguyen took in the scene and soon realized that all of the Americans had escaped except for Dean and Sam; he walked over to them and pulled out his gun which he aimed at Dean's head. He nodded toward Sam.

"Him I need, you I don't."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

I appreciate the reviews, thanks. This is the last chapter…..hope no one is disappointed with the ending.

Jungle Fever

Chapter fourteen

Dean could hear the click of the gun as Nguyen pulled the hammer back. A million thoughts went through his head. If he died and if Sam survived his fever his brother might end up spending years trapped in a prisoner of war camp being tortured daily for information that he couldn't tell them. Dean knew his brother was burning up with fever and looked like he was dying but he also knew his brother was strong and if the fever didn't kill him he could spend the rest of his life in a time period that he didn't belong in. He knew if Nguyen killed him his brother would be on his own and he couldn't let that happen. They'd either have to live together or die together, one or the other. Dean could feel himself growing weaker from the blood loss as he glared up at Nguyen. He did the only thing he could think of; he tried to get Nguyen to move closer to him.

"You act so tough in front of your men, well let's see how tough you really are…..Come over here and let's go one on one, just you and me."

"I have no need to prove how tough I am."

"That's because you're a coward….You don't want your men to see you get your ass kicked."

"I am not a coward…..You Americans who hide in your fancy planes and bomb our villages are the cowards." Nguyen took a few steps closer. "You and your fellow Americans…..you are the cowards."

"What about you? You torture men who are sick and can't fight back….. That's really brave of you….your men should be proud of you." Dean said mockingly.

"You Americans think you are better then everyone….You don't belong in my country…..You are all pigs and you deserve to be slaughtered." Nguyen stepped even closer as he spit in front of Dean. It was then Dean made his move. He suddenly sprung up and ignoring the pain from his injured leg grabbed Nguyen by his belt. He cried out as Nguyen stomped on his injured leg, but he held on, he knew it was now or never. In the background he could hear his brother moaning as he slowly came to. He ignored him as he grabbed the thing he was after… a grenade. He pulled back from Nguyen who looked at him wide eyed with fear and disbelief.

"Get the hell away from us!" Dean shouted, he would have loved to have taken Nguyen with them for what he had done to his brother but he knew by doing that he would be changing the past. Nguyen backed up then suddenly turned and ran as did his soldiers.

"Dean….Dean what ….what are you doing?" Sam had watched everything as he now looked at his brother with glazed, fever filled eyes.

"It'll be over quick Sam….I promise." He crawled back over to his brother and gathered him in his arms as he pulled the pin from the grenade. Now he could only pray that he had done the right thing and that they both would return to their own time. The last thing he felt was his brother turn his face into his shoulder just as the grenade exploded.

Nguyen watched from behind the prison wall as pieces of bodies flew in every direction.

"Crazy Americans." He said to his soldiers, angry that he no longer had anyone to torture for information, but his anger turned to shock as the pieces of bodies slowly disappeared until nothing was left of his two former captives.

**The museum**

Dean could feel the coolness of the tiles against his face as he woke up. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly sat up… he was alive.

"Oh thank God…." He said softly as he looked around the dark room. He hadn't been sure if taking their own lives would bring them back or not, but apparently it did. He then looked down at himself, he was once again dressed as he had been when they had entered the museum, his leg wound now completely healed. But his relief turned to fear when he didn't see his brother. "Sammy! Sam!" He shouted not caring if it drew the attention of the guard. Had he left Sam behind? Was his brother still back in Vietnam?

"Over here." Sam called out from behind a statue.

Dean hurried over to his brother and immediately put his hand up to Sam's forehead to see if he still had a fever.

"I feel fine Dean." Sam said as he gently pushed Dean's hand away.

"Your fever's gone." Dean said smiling.

"That was some crazy stunt you pulled blowing us up like that."

"It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah but now I'm going to owe you one." Sam said as Dean helped him to his feet. "Look…." Sam pointed toward the display case and they watched as Dean's flamethrower slowly materialized next to it. "I wonder where that went, why didn't it go with us to Vietnam?" Sam reached under his jacket and could feel the hard metal of his gun which also suddenly appeared.

"I have no idea but it's time to take care of this damn thing once and for all." Dean opened the display case and without another word shot the flame at the box. It took a little time but finally the box began to glow red hot then slowly melt until it was just a hunk of melted metal. Dean smiled over at his brother who was keeping an eye out for the guard. "That was easy."

"Yeah, a little too easy." Sam looked out into the hallway but saw no sign of the guard. He hoped the man was sleeping off his drinks from earlier. How long had actually passed since they were gone he wondered…..a day, two days, or no time at all? Right now he really didn't care; all he wanted was to rid themselves of the box. "Let's get out of here."

Dean took off his jacket and wrapped it around the melted box; they then found the room they had originally broken into and climbed out the window. Once outside they found their car parked where they had left it and tossed the jacket containing the box into the trunk, they then drove to a secluded area.

Sam quickly dug a deep hole and Dean removed the box from the jacket and dropped it into the hole which they then covered up with dirt.

"Well it's over….that son of a bitch isn't going to zap anybody ever again." Dean said as he turned and walked back to the car.

Sam stared at the mound of dirt for a few seconds before following his brother; he hoped what Dean said was true, that the box was now a thing of the past. He then got into the car with his brother and they sped off into the night toward their next hunt.

**A few hours later**

An owl sat on the ground near the mound of dirt quietly ripping its prey to shreds and gulping down its bloody flesh. Suddenly the earth moved beneath it and it dropped its food and flew up into a tree. Looking down at the moving dirt it decided it wanted nothing to do with whatever was emerging from the mount of dirt and flew off in search of more food.

Beneath the ground the melted box slowly began to form back into its original shape. It then began to make its way up to the surface where it would once more lay in wait for someone to walk by and discover it.

The End….or is it?


End file.
